Yonggan de Xin
by Cate Eliot
Summary: One often meets his destiny on the path he takes to avoid it. You can run, but you cannot hide from the past or what fate has in store. With new masters in town and a competition of strengths, Tigress must learn this first hand.


A/N: Hello everyone! This is my first fanfiction story. I have about 40,000 words of it written, but will decide if I'm going to post the rest of it after I get feedback on the first chapter/prologue. Yes, I did have to change the animals to people, only because I ship Ti/Po and...it was kind of hard to visualize with the Tiger and the Panda. Anyways, the story is after Kung Fu Panda 2. PLEASE read and review.

Prologue:

_~ One often meets is past on the road he takes to run from it. ~_

The Grandmaster was troubled.

He had been troubled for the last few months and even his students were worried. The sage old master, now about 650 years old, hadn't felt this in touch in the universe since he'd taken his student, Fu.

He had tried everything to cure this ale; oolong tea, deep meditation, and even a peach from the Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. Nothing had cured the nervous feeling of something about to happen. He breathed deeply and closed his eyes. His brittle legs were crossed in meditation and his back was ram rod straight.

He was hoping for a sign. A sign of anything for now, a vision of things to come, a feeling he could not dismiss, or even a sound that could lead him in the direction of what the Universe was trying so desperately to tell him.

The night was cold. The fog was covering the side of the mountain, iridescent and smoky, where the Jade Palace was built. On the edge of the cliff, you could see the fading lights of the newly forming Valley of Peace. The villagers were all in bed now and fast asleep, but things weren't even winding down yet up the Thousands Steps to the Palace.

He took a deep breath. "Inner peace…I am one with the Universe, the Universe is one with me…" He tried to clear his mind and focus on nothing. Empty space, empty mind… Inner peace.

Then he saw.

_…A small boy, maybe only 5 or 6 in the Training Hall, or what looked like the currently hall, but revamped and certainly harder than the one that was present now. The boy was taller with Asian skin and black hair. His eyes were a deep brown and shone with anticipation. _

_He did not wear the robes of a Jade Palace student. His pants were a purple silk and his upper body was cloaked with a white linen shirt with elbow length sleeves. A stuff panda bear was set up near the side. The panda was worn and loved; the once velvet monochromic fur was wore and the brass eyes were shining off the candles lighting the hall. _

_"Just watch Tai Ping," the little boy was saying, marking down the Adversary with his eyes. The tall, sand filled dummy was what we used to train children today. A cheap painted smile was painted on the face of the leather dummy. "I'm going to be just like daddy and do kung fu. See, I can do it, watch!" the child said excitedly to the bear. _

_He attacked with swift speed for a child and knocked the dummy over and reared back with a huge grin on his face. He turned towards the door was and Oogway followed suit. Shifu, a much older version, stood there hands in the long open pockets of his blue robe. They looked nothing alike. Oogway suddenly knew that this child was not Shifu's by birth. The smile on his smile said it all…_

_…a girl, seven years old. She was small, too thin to be healthy. What startled the old man was how beautiful she was. She had a head full of fiery red ringlets that reached her shoulders. She wore torn clothing and was in a dark room, nowhere a child should be. Her skin was pale as snow and flawless. There wasn't a mark or scratch on her skin. She looked out of place in the torn up and wrecked room. _

_The Grandmaster's eyes found her face. He was struck by her ember eyes. Her iris were swirled with golds and metallic pigments. They stared untrusting at Shifu who was kneeling down at her to look her in the eyes and get down her level. _

_There was an older woman in the background, near the iron door. She hovered there in an old apron that read: _Bao Gu Orphanage_ on the pocket. Her hair was frizzy and permed and she looked terrified. How could some be so afraid of such a small child? Oogway turned his head and looked back at the girl. _

_She was looking over Shifu, her head tilted to the left a little. Her eyes said she knew a lot more than she let on. He watched for a moment longer. He had that feeling that this child had not had it easy, something about her; whether it being the eyes or the way she shifted her weight back and forth on her feet like she was aware of something the rest of them weren't. Her old soul eyes marked the space he would have been and then flickered back to Shifu. _

_He pulled out a domino from his robe pocket. The wooden tile reflected the minimal light the bar off window gave. He nodded to her as he outstretched his hand, trying to hand her the piece, like a peace offering…_

_…the boy from the earlier view came bounding through the gates at the top of the steps. Oogway followed Shifu and the girl up the steps. The spring air was refreshing and the small breeze blew the girl's red hair off her shoulders. She looked nervous as the boy approached her and literally picked up off the ground. _

_Shifu, now around 45, chuckled as the girl took a step away from the boy, startled. Oogway smile when he saw the boy's face fall. He was taller than her, much taller, and much bigger. The child was probably terrified. _

_"Tai Lung," Shifu said taking the girl's pale slender hand, "This is Mei Ren. Your sister." Mei Ren seemed much more comfortable with Shifu. Her breathing had relaxed and she gave Tai Lung a small, but guarded smile. He grinned back…_

_… he saw the same girl, much older, maybe 13 or 14, standing alongside others. She had grown up beautifully. Strong and courageous, he could tell by just looking at her. She stood side by side with four others; three boys and one girl. _

_They stood in the ruins of a town. Smoke and debris were everywhere. Blood stained the ground. A battle had just occurred. Oogway chuckled to himself; a woman kung fu master. Who would have thought? She wore the clothes of a warrior; a red shirt with the Jade Palace symbol on it. Shifu had trained her. _

_He too had seen the potential in her eyes. _

_The others looked at her, though her ember eyes were trained on the battle field remains. "Tigress?" The only other girl spoke. Her long blonde hair was tied back away from her face. Her shoulder was bleeding and she looked exhausted._

_He was a taken back at the new name. That had not been the name same name that Shifu had used. Why had she changed? Oogway didn't see Tai Lung…he wasn't present at the time. _

_She didn't answer. Her ember eyes just marked what they had just destroyed, not stopping and blinking. A boy, older than she was, with long brown hair stepped forward, taking her arm. "Ti?" She looked back at him, face expressionless. _

_"We did it," she said tonelessly. _

_The villagers moved out of the house, slowly coming out to see the victors standing there side by side. The blonde hair girl took Tigress' or Mei Ren's hand and interlocked their fingers. She looked up into the brown hair boy's eyes and slipped her hand into his. The cycle went down until all five of them were intertwined. _

_The villagers moved cautiously out of the houses and crowded into the streets. A sudden chant was started. "Furious Five! Furious Five!" All of them looked at each other simultaneously and grinned…_

_… Tigress stood with a veil over her pale face. Her red hair was tied back, away from her face. She looked peaceful standing in the room. She wore the dress of a bride. Tai Lung was back… now at least 25 years old. _

_"Look at you, baby sister," he teased, as he came through the doorway. "All dressed up. What's the occasion?" He wore a white suit that contrasted with his dark hair. She smiled softly under the veil. The beauty in her face made even Oogway smile. _

_"Curiously enough, big brother," she teased back, quietly. "I happen to be getting married."_

_"Really," he said in mock interest, "and here I was coming in here to ask you if you wanted to spar together in the training hall." She smiled. _

_He grinned at her and titled her chin up with his fingertips so that he could look her in the eyes. "You do look pretty though, Ren," he said softly. _

_She blushed slightly, but it only made her white cheeks even more opaque. There was a rustling outside of the door and both turned to look at the closed doorway. Oogway watched Shifu materialize in the now open doorway. Tai Lung smiled and nodded once to him and winked at Tigress. _

_Shifu now maybe 80 years old was also dressed for the occasion. His robes were replaced with velvet red ones and his green Grandmaster's cloak was tied around one shoulder. Oogway smiled; he'd passed on into the next life. He was excited at the prospect of the new world and the creations of the afterlife. And, of course, there was no better replacement that his favorite student. _

_Tigress watched Shifu for a moment, waiting him to speak. He watched her in turn, with a much more somber face. His brilliant blue eyes were watery, though he was trying to let it show. _

_After a moment, he took a step forward and held out his hand, palm up. Cradled inside his palm, was a domino…_

_…. There was the same girl, lying on a white, sterile bed, her red hair shocking red against the white. She was a little bit older now. Maybe 20 or 21, Oogway wasn't sure. But he knew was she wasn't moving. Oogway stepped forward concerned. He leaned forward, shocked to see deep lacerations on her body, cutting deep down into her pale skin. _

_They looked like painful lash marks and blood had made its way through the white linen bandages that her body was wrapped up in. What on earth had happened?_

_Her ember eyes were closed and her face was expressionless. Oddly, she didn't seem to be in pain. Was she dead? No—there was a definite inflation and deflation of her chest. Breath was still in her body, making her heart pump. _

_Oogway turned look outside the window to find the entire land covered in golden peace. That made no sense. The door opened and he was about to ask someone what was going on? Why someone full of such light was— _

… "Master?" A voice shocked him from his visions. He snapped his eyes open and took a deep, cold breath of air.

He turned to look beside him. _'Speak of the devil,'_ he thought. "Is everything well, Fu?" the Grandmaster asked his student with a kind smile.

Fu shifted nervously. The twelve year old boy with copper tint brown hair looked anxious. He half glanced back at the barracks where Oogway saw the three long shadows lurking around where they thought Oogway couldn't see them.

"Well, we were just worried, that's all. You seem…kinda distracted and we just wanted to make sure you were okay." Shifu was never one for sugar coating anything. The brilliant blue eyed child looked up at Oogway.

Oogway smiled. "Yes, child. I'm alright now. I just had a vision from the Universe telling me of what's to come."

Fu's eyes got larger. Oogway had taught him and the others about prophecies and visions, but Oogway hadn't ever had one. "Really Master?" he asked, curiously.

Oogway chuckled. "Yes, I did. Do you want to know a secret, Fu?"

"Yes!"

Oogway patted the cliff beside him; beckoning Fu to sit down. The student did; his legs crossed in meditation style. He put his hands in his lap and looked at Oogway.

He nodded to the sleeping Valley below. "What do you see?"

"The Valley of Peace," Fu answered factually, without hesitation.

"Yes," Oogway responded. "But do not look at just like any old Valley. There are houses in the Valley, and shops, and a stores. There is a market and merchants that run the market. There are shoppers who buy things from the merchants. And then those shoppers take the food home to their family who consist of women and children, boy and girls. When you look at your Valley, Fu, do not see just a big, sleeping Valley, see the people."

Fu nodded slowly, confused what this could have to do with the vision Oogway had had of him, but he stayed silent and watched the Valley for a moment more.

"What did you see in your vision, Master?" he asked another moment later, unable to bear the suspense.

"It's best you not understand everything of the future," Oogway replied slowly. "For the future is unstable and ever changing. What I saw could happen, or it could not; to be or not to be it. Everything is interconnected, Fu. But what I can tell you…is that you will have two children; a boy and a girl. Both whom are not related to you by blood. These children have great destinies, as you do yourself. You must learn to hence my words lightly now, but heavily when the tide comes to roll in. Do you understand?" he asked gently.

Fu paused for a moment. "No," he said, shaking his head. Oogway chuckled.

"That's alright, my child. In due time you will," he replied softly. "You should get to bed. It's almost sunrise."

Fu jumped up to his feet, white robe fluttering back down to his ankles, and bowed. "Yes, Master Oogway. Have a goodnight."

Oogway nodded his head and watched his retreating figure. "Oh, and Fu? You can Shang, Han, and Lin that they should go to bed too. I know they're behind that pillar back there."

Oogway heard a faint "Dang it!" and chuckled to himself. He turned towards the Valley against. The wind moved around him, rustling the peach blossoms on the ground where the tree had littered them.

"Good luck, sweet Mei Ren," he said softly to the air. "I wish to see you soon, but I must let the Universe do its work before you are delivered into our lives. I look forward to that day though, dear child. For you will be the light to the dark, the yin to the yang, and the peace in the chaos."

Though he was not aware it would be at least 30 more years before the Universe's hero was born and placed in a white wicker cradle...


End file.
